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Two score and one year ago, our father brought forth on this continent a chocolate chip cookie, conceived in buttery goodness and dedicated to the proposition that not all cookies are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great company-wide quest, testing whether that cookie—or any cookie so conceived and so dedicated—can earn the title of “The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.”
In honor of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, and in the spirit of fun and flavor, we recently undertook a delicious challenge: to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.
We invited our bakers, chefs, event planners, event staff, dishwashers—the whole team!—to send us their absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Then we baked each submitted recipe in our kitchen and pitted them against each other in a blind taste test.
Forty-seven judges tasted and rated all the cookie recipes (including the original recipe our dad developed so long ago). The results? Full stomachs, happy smiles, and a surprise twist in the final tally! Our chocolate chip cookie taste-off was full of sweet savorings and delightful discoveries. Here are the winning recipes.
The OG
Which recipe did the judges choose as their #1? None other than Dad’s original recipe from 41 years ago!
Bursting with gooey chocolate goodness, this is everything you want a chocolate chip cookie to be. We have published the recipe for Culinary Crafts’ chocolate chip cookies on our website before. You can find it here.
One secret of this cookie’s success is the brown sugar. Brown sugar contains invert sugar which is both sweeter than regular table sugar and retains moisture better, resulting in moist and chewy cookies.
While we were excited to see that our tried-and-true recipe still holds up, we were also delighted to find some excellent competition. Here are the three runners-up in our taste test for the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
Our tasters absolutely loved the taste and texture of this cookie from Wedding and Event Specialist Amber. It’s hard to describe how much the richness of chocolate is boosted by the contrast of sea salt in this recipe. You just have to try it to become a believer!
Amber’s Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (browned)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt + more flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Directions
- Brown the butter. Add in sugars. Mix until butter has cooled.
- Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, soda and salt. Lightly fold in chocolate chunks.
- Scoop and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
- Bake at 350° F for 12 minutes.
- Sprinkle with flakey salt. Serve warm.
They look like classic chocolate chip cookies…until you bite into one. Then, you’re suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia and a sense that you are literally tasting your childhood. Anyone who grew up in Utah will probably recognize the secret ingredient in this recipe from Mary, our Field Kitchen Captain.
Mary’s Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 (4-oz) pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix (dry powder only)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2¼ cups flour
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, eggs, and pudding mix.
- In a separate bowl, mix together baking soda and flour, and gently add to wet ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Use a small scoop to drop dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350° F for 8-10 minutes, until sides become golden. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Our final winning recipe comes from Kristine, Social Media Manager extraordinaire. It’s a family favorite, passed down from her Grandma Rose Hodson and immortalized in their family recipe book. The one change Kristine made was to replace shortening with butter.
Grandma Rose’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or chopped pecans
- 12 ounces chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars together.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat.
- Add mixed dry ingredients, water, vanilla, and all other ingredients.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 minutes at 350°F.
Which of these recipes really yields the perfect chocolate chip cookie? You be the judge.
Browse our website for more delicious recipes for cookies, cakes, pies, and other desserts. Or, to discuss how to make your next high-end catered event unforgettably delicious, contact us at Culinary Crafts.
